Diversification is the future of the coconut coir industry - Coir Kerala 2016

The acoustics panels displayed at Coir Kerala 2016 is a good example of the ongoing product diversification efforts in the coir sector, said Revenue and Coir Minister Shri Adoor Prakash. “The National Coir Research and Management Institute is working in the development of new technology and machinery,” said the Minister, in his valedictory address, on the concluding day of the five-day international Coir expo.

“We need to move forward from mats and mattresses, and the Accoir acoustics panel, developed through R&D has picked up a lot of interest at the exhibition.” The acoustic panels are an eco-friendly soundproofing system for recording studios and homes.

Highlighting the positive changes that have been introduced in the sector in the past five years, including wages increasing from Rs 100 to Rs 300, Shri Prakash said that the coir industry should not be limited to Alappuzha, but should now spread to all the 14 districts of the state.

The Minister, who had a direct interaction with coir workers earlier today, pointed out that workers made requests for the latest defibering machines, demonstrating that “mechanisation is the way forward”.
While cooperative societies requested further financial support through working capital at the interaction earlier today, the Minister said that while this would be considered under the right circumstances, it was found that in several cases the money was lying unused in banks. “It is imperative that the money should be distributed by the cooperatives to create more jobs,” he emphasised.

The state-owned Coirfed, Foam Mattings and Coir Corporation have registered steady annual growth in the past six years, when the first edition of Coir Kerala was launched. The Coir Corporation’s export business now stands at Rs 10 crore. “In the next financial year, we have laid the framework for growing exports to Rs 20 crore,” he said.